When John Cipollina Came to Alaska

  John Cipollina, with Copperhead

In the early 70's,there was more than one reason Alaska was called "The Last Frontier". For one,even in the "major cities" of Anchorage and Fairbanks,there was no live television.Shows were shipped up and broadcast on a 2 week delay basis. The Super Bowl would be broadcasted live via satellite,but that's another story for another time...

Alaska was also the Last Frontier for this reason. KENI-AM was a standard 70's AM station that would play album tracks at night. That was the best one could do for music on the radio,and this was clearly a step backwards for someone who had experienced the underground FM radio stations of the day.

 The campus of Alaska Methodist University in Anchorage seemed far removed from the tumult that had impacted so many college campuses during the late '60's and early '70's. The vibe throughout much of the campus was reminiscent of how colleges in the 50's were depicted...The campus choir was popular... there were curfews, the elected student body president was a lover of tradition,and an ally of the college administration ,and though Alaska had lenient marijuana laws, this did not extend to the campus of AMU.Maybe things had skipped over..or hadn't arrived yet.

Some of this was also different for my roommate Ron Buickie. Ron was from upstate New York.I happened to meet Ron on my flight from New York to Alaska. In the days when tobacco smoke was allowed on flights,Ron used the opportunity to smoke something that wasn't tobacco in the bathrooms,and was kind enough to give me a sample of what he was bringing to and smoking in the bathroom. This happened before we discovered we were going to the same college,and before we found out we were assigned as roommates.
It was Ron who got the ball rolling..Ron would still obtain the underground magazines that seemed to flourish then. Ron got the word through one of those newspapers that John Cipollina was taking a hiatus from Quicksilver Messenger Service,was working with a new band called Copperhead and they were looking for gigs..The address to write them was on the ad. Ron then tossed the ball into my hands.

It must be said at this point that between the time Ron and I had met on the flight to Alaska to this moment when the ball was being tossed my way,that I had gotten myself elected to the Student Assembly at AMU. I got elected in large part due to the "marijuana code language" employed in my campaign statement for the student newspaper. My election did not sit well with the student body president,and he told me as much.

When Ron said "Let's bring John Cipollina to Alaska",he knew that once I had gotten elected to the Student Assembly,I managed to my way onto the Student Activities Committee. Though I was thrilled to be on the committee,I was also aware I was placed there by the student body president.I was also charged with coming up with an event to raise money for the Student Activity fund..My understanding was the last few events had failed to raise money,and the student body president  wished to see if I could use the "marketing skills I used to get elected" as he put it to use.
When we sent the request to the address listed in the ad,I thought that might be the last we'd hear of it.

I imagined John Cipollina and his manager laughing soon as they saw the "Methodist" in the Alaska Methodist University stationary we sent the inquiry on.What I didn't imagine was getting a return letter within two weeks with instructions to be near a phone on such and such a date at this time Alaska time. In the return letter the manager had accounted for the approximate time the letter would take before it would arrive in Anchorage,and knew about the 1 hour time difference between Pacific and Alaska time.
Shortly after that phone call,I got the Student Assembly to approve an "investment"to bring a "really good rock band"to play in the Student Union Building.The student body president felt the cost of investment was too high for a band he had never heard of,but was unable to persuade the rest of the assembly. Once the "investment' was secured,I then turned to my roommate to finalize the deal to bring John Cipollina to Anchorage.
KENI-AM stated their willingness to assist the University students raise money by running free PSA's about the upcoming event..and because the station didn't have any Quicksilver albums,Ron and I knew the nights they played Quicksilver Messenger Service and Happy Trails, (one night they played the entire second side of Happy Trails),that those were OUR albums being beamed throughout that Last Frontier!
The "stage" in the Student Union building was barely large enough for the drummer..Cipollina said he had no problem working with it. The Student Union building also didn't have any real type of dressing room. Cipollina,also said as he rolled joint after joint,lighting them then passing them on,that he had no problem that his "dressing room" had to be the janitor's room.I was happy,He seemed happy,Ron was happy and that janitor's room was hazy by the time Copperhead hit the stage!

The Student Union building was packed..students and non-students alike. Copperhead played some original tunes,and some Quicksilver favorites,and John Cipollina showed his appreciation by not only delivering some of the finest guitar licks this side of San Francisco ,but also between many of his guitar solos would toss joints into the audience as well as light one and pass it on.
I was told later by the college President (Yes,I got called into his office after the Cipollina show) that I could never do something like that again. I said ok,but had to remind him that we doubled the "investment "and made money for the Student Union. I knew from that moment on, that at a small liberal arts college of 400 students,I was going to be watched like I had never been watched before. I also knew I was happy and a lot of folks,students and non students went away happy.Ron was happy. His copy of Happy Trails was played on KENI-AM,and he got to roll joints with John Cipollina.
John Cipollina went away happy too..There was no way the "investment" was going to cover the cost of bringing a band to Alaska. In the 70's cost kept many bands from playing in Alaska..but Alaska was the Last Frontier,and that was almost enough to bring John Cipollina to Alaska. What was enough to bring him to a small liberal arts college run by the Methodist Church was Matanuska.

Matanuska Valley Thunder F@*k..a..for you who don't know, Matanuska Valley Thunder F@*k is one of the most powerful strains of marijuana grown in North America. The nearly 24 hour sunlight in the summer would do wonders for the strain,and for a pound of Matanuska Valley Thunder F@*k,John Cipollina was willing to bring Copperhead to Alaska.
A few years ago,I returned to Alaska to perform my one man play Kolorada...a western tale. Alaska Methodist University is now Alaska Pacific University. While in Anchorage I had to stop by,and it brought tears to my eyes to see that the makeshift stage that once had John Cipollina on it was still there..